Tainted Peonies
by Peony Petals
Summary: (KuramaxBotanxHiei) AU! Botan is an average reporter who's been looking up info on 'vampire' attacks. Suddenly, she has a car wreck, which then leads up to her meeting two very interesting men. One a priest, the other a vampire.
1. Accidents Happen

**Pocky**: Ack…

Here's the deal. _I got a new computer_. **Yay!** _All the files on the old computer gone_. **Eh?** That means, the chapters I wrote for my other stories are gone. Fin. Honestly, I had no idea where to go with them! I'm really sorry, readers! But, this one, I will stick with! I chewed my friend's ears off too much with my ideas now to not finish this story.

Alrighty, let's make this brief. Basically, it's an AU fic. Gah, I seem to write best with those. Anyway, Botan is involved with an accident that will change her life forever. (Corny, no?) This accident causes her to meet up with two particular men that will guide her through her life and try to explain everything to the poor girl.

It's a love triangle! –gasp- I've wanted to try one, so, yeah.

Anyway, you might need to know that Kurama is a priest and that Hiei is a vampire. Botan? That will come later… Also, this is a time where demons and night creatures stalk the city. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer- I don't own anything 'cept a bad grade in Math. Nyah.**

**(Begin)**

Steam escaped through the closed door of a humble shower while the female figure lingering inside of it sighed. Wet locks of blue hair swept down upon her face as more heated water rushed down her body, all thanks to the massaging showerhead located just above her head. Despite the early time, six-thirty, she smiled through it all, her mood increasing due to the intoxicating scent of her lavender soap. Her nimble fingers clung to the soft rag she held in her grasp, more soap bubbles popping from her grip. A small hum came forth for her chapped lips, which would be tended to after the shower.

After placed a small amount of shampoo in her curling hair (Humidity the cause.), the girl scrubbed every inch of her scalp and run the soap once more in her hair. "I wish I could stay here forever…." Her mused thoughts reached to the cloudy mirror, then echoed back to her. "Gahh… Yusuke would kill me if I missed work." Humming again, she rinsed the residue out of her hair and reached to turn the shower knob. At once, then hot water dimmed to a light sprinkle, then completely shut off. Avoiding the soapy water still draining, the girl stepped out of the shower and landed on a light green rug, used just for this purpose.

A hand flew up to the mirror and rubbed a circle on the surface, revealing the girl's reflection. Smirking, she swiftly grabbed a towel, wrapped around her tiny frame, and stuck her tongue out at the glass. The muscle popped back into her mouth while she walked away from the bathroom, most likely her favorite room in the whole apartment, besides the bedroom. The bathroom was large, fit for a couple. (However, the girl was single and most promptly 'loving it'. Or so she says.) Two sinks sit onto a creamy colored counter, the large mirror placed just above the bins. It contained both shower and tub, luxurious and spacious. The theme was green, a bit forestry for the rest of the vicinity. The rest of the apartment was decorated in light, pastel colors such as blue and yellow.

In fact, the bedroom is entirely blue. None of the hues matched the color of her hair (A rare color indeed.), but she liked it just the same. Who wouldn't love a king-sized bed, a few shelves, an armoire, and small cat bed for her favorite kitty? (I won't go into too much detail about the apartment like I did in "Smile!"…)

Her soft padded footsteps made their way into the kitchen, a small smile placed on her pale face as she pressed a small button located on the phone, which turned on her answering machine.

"Yo! Botan, it's me, Yusuke! Guess what! Keiko's pregnant! Were gonna have a baby! Oh! By the way, great story you did on those nightly attacks, the reviews hit the roof! AH! Gotta go, we've got an doctors appointment!"

Faintly, the smirking female could hear Keiko's giggles in the background of the message. Her boss's wife, Keiko, was always a delight to see. Her smile always placed a certain spark in Yusuke's chocolate eyes, and he in turn caused her to shine even brighter when they embraced. An abrupt beep ended the message, the numbers flashed a bit, then a voice stated that weren't any messages. Humming again, Botan strolled over towards her bedroom and proceeded to get ready for work.

**(36 Minutes later)**

The car door to a black sports car, a small 'bing' sound echoed through the seemingly empty parking lot. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, Botan stepped into the car while adjusted her straps laced on the black heels she wore. Before the woman started the car, she rummaged through her purse a bit, found a navy tube of lipstick and looked squarely in the mirror just above her dashboard to apply the make up on her thin lips. A short smack of the lips later, Botan inserted the key in the ignition, switched the gear to reverse, and slowly pressed on the gas pedal while glancing in the rear view mirror for any objects. Suddenly, a quick flash of black sprouted from the column of the lot and sped across the ground.

Screech! The tires skid along the road to surely leave smudges on the surface while the blunette stopped to gain her breath. Was it a cat? "Hope it wasn't Mina…" Botan murmured, putting the car back into drive and traveling out of the exit of the concrete lot.

While driving, thoughts crawled into the girl's head, sticking memories together and starting questions. For the past few weeks, black blurs such as the one in the lot had been occurring all around Tokyo. In fact, some innocent civilians were attacked or murdered, without any evidence at the crime scene. Botan would know. She had been a reporter for the popular _Tokyo Sun!_ magazine. Yusuke appointed her the job of finding out what was going on, but that proved to be difficult when the police didn't even have a clue. The reporter was placed on other stories, such as who's dating whom, but she remained interested on the attacks. With those keen magenta eyes of hers, she picked up a lot of information.

Some believed the attacks were the work of the devil, warning them about their sins and how they should purify themselves. Others thought that the attacks were just sick humans playing a demented joke on society. The theory Botan found most interesting was that the killings could've been caused by vampires.

-**Flashback!-**

_"What can you tell me about the body, Doctor Shima?" Botan asked, clad in a black dress suit. She sipped on a small alcoholic drink, eyeing the man sitting across from her at the black marble table. _

_The other man sneered in retaliation, but the sweat upon his brow was evident. "Aren't you a bit young to drink?" The blue haired girl smirked, the straw once placed in her mouth slide back into the moist glass._

"_Aren't you too professional to accept bribes from reporters?"_

_Shima coughed, nervously glancing around at the waiters and straightening his white lab coat. "I don't know much. I was only allowed to examine the boy for a few minutes."_

"_Doesn't matter, just tell me anything that was odd about the wounds. Anything at all?" She mentally sighed. Being this aloof and cool minded wasn't so easy when you want answers. Besides, this wasn't really her. It was just a pawn to make her opponent talk. And, it worked all the time._

_Shima bit his lip before taking a swig of his own drink, the sweat on his palms and liquid on the glass almost caused him to drop it. "Listen, this could get me fired. But, the boy had these weird marks on his neck. Like, he was bitten or something. And, the blood we drained from him was so…. low."_

"_Like he was sucked dry?" Botan smiled against the rim of her glass before she had taken another sip of her margarita, herself not sure if this was her scheming side or her normal personality. _

_The man nodded, his blue eyes adverted away from the woman sitting across from him. "How much are you going to pay me for this?" In response, Botan lightly laughed and threw wad of yen on the table._

"_Thanks for the drink, doctor."_

**-End Flashback!-**

The radio station blasted through Botan's thoughts as her favorite song played, her mood now lifting into higher spirits. She grinned, and began patting the steering wheel in harmony with the beats with the song, along with the lyrics, she mimicked the singer by humming.

_Running through a town through a faceless crowd, I need to feel the touch of a friend!_

Her black car drove down the isolated road; the driver inside too distracted didn't notice the small shadow tracing her. Headlights streamed down the pavement showing her that the ground was damp, for now a small shower rained upon her location.

_In the countryside I wander far and wide the isolation gets me again. I don't know where to go, when I feel like crying out, oh my. It's time to open myself to something new I wanna stop, and grow up a bit!_

Still, Botan paid more attention to the song that the demonic aura swooping in the sky. Suddenly, the girl felt something near her, watching her. The song continued to play, leaving her in an eerie state. This was just like a horror scene she had witnessed in various scary movies, all of which Yusuke dragged her into watching. There! Botan's pink eyes got sight of a dark figure come crashing down onto her windshield, causing her to lose control of the car and swerve off the road.

_It's time to open myself to something new I wanna stop, and grow up a bit!_

Desperately, she gripped the wheel in effort to pull the car into the right direction. It was no use. She was as good as gone. Her last seconds consisted of remembering past experiences and her cherished moments, the scariest moment of a car accident.

_Then suddenly my power and confidence starts swelling up magically erupts and it's all because of kindness that I feel from people I don't even know._

Eyes dimmed as Botan lay limply against her steering wheel, the once rushing heart beat disappeared along with her life. The lids closed, forever sealing those amazing orbs of joy. Glass shattered against her clammy skin, cutting into the pale flesh as the black vehicle slammed into a nearby pole.

_Then suddenly intuition and my wisdom grow and then I know that most of all I sense compassion's wield into strangers wherever I go... thank you for waking me up!_

However, even in the darkest point of the accident, a small blue light erupted from her neck, a small jewel like shine filled the car. It dazzled the glass and shorn against the sleek exterior of the car. The light represented a New Hope for our two heroes, and a threat to the world's enemies.

**(Two Hours Later)**

"Well, here's the gal's body. Sure is a shame, though. She was a pretty one." A man dressed in the same typical lab coat shuffled over to a file box near the exit of the morgue, his old grainy hands fumbled in his pocket for the set of keys that would open the body's box.

"Yes, it is sad." Another commented. He had hair of scarlet red and vibrant emerald eyes, which currently held a mournful gleam. Under his black jacket was a casual suit, but, he fastened a reverend collar around his neck. Not that the man used it as a disguise to see the body. He truly was a priest, working at a old church long forgotten in the silent part of Tokyo. His friend, however, was completely different.

He wore attire of completely black. Black pants, black shirt, and black…everything. Which all went well with his spiky hair and piercing crimson eyes. Eyes that always remained emotionless, bored even. One thing that made him stand out was the cloak slung over his body, shielding him from all types of light. Without it, he might just perish.

The priest watched carefully as the old man slowly inserted the key into the box's lock and slide open the drawer. He nearly gasped at the sight of the blue haired girl laying still on the cold metal surface. Several cuts dementedly decorated her body, along with a few shards of glass that couldn't be taken out of her yet. Her hair limply stayed in a ponytail, which the redhead guessed, used to be cheerful and bouncy.

His friend, the black haired one, remained clam as ever and glanced at the girl without a trace of emotion on his tan face. The old man looked at both men, slightly titling his head to the side. "Say… What relation are you to her again?"

His response was one flicker located within the crimson eyes of the dark man. Suddenly, the old man felt himself falling towards the ground shrouded in a thick was of darkness. The redhead sighed and lightly glared at his companion. "Was that necessary, Hiei?" A tint of annoyance dripped in his tone.

"Doesn't matter, Kurama. He'll wake up in a few hours. Right now, we need to get the girl out of her."

Kurama nodded, but then became hesitant when reaching over to lift the girl. "What if she's the wrong one?" Hiei, being the resourceful fellow he is, strode over to the paper chart taped to the table the girl laid on.

"Riko, Botan. Cause of death, car accident." Smirking, the black clothed man made his way to the other side of the girl and began to gingerly tear the sheet off of her frame.

"Hiei!" Kurama scolded, glancing away, "I'm the man of the lord… Must you do that?"

The man merely shrugged and answered nonchalantly, "In all of my 136 years, Kurama, don't you think I've seen a bare fleshed woman?" He didn't give enough time for the other to answer. Instead, he traced his tan fingers along a certain fragment located in Botan's neck. A small blue light pumped inside the fragment, causing the smirk to grow wider.

"Time to wake up, little flower…" Hiei mused while the light pulsed again and a peaceful heartbeat made it's way back to Botan's body.

**(End)**

**Pocky: **Oh god lord. If you guys like it, I'll update after... 7 reviews! n.n


	2. Problems While Sleeping

**Pocky**: WOW! I never expected seven reviews, already! I want to thank all of you for the encouragement.

**EXAMS! **Did I scare you? Horrible packets, they are!** 342 questions… on my science review alone!** I won't be able to update as much… Sorry, readers. But, during winter break… Muwahahaha!

Oh… And I also really got into **_Fruits Basket_**. Such a cute manga! …Tohru and Kyo forever!

Oh, btw, **tuathafaerie**, I'm glad you like the doctors name. Maybe it was intended, maybe not…

_-shifty glance-_

**Fred**: It means she had no idea and wishes to have the knowledge of anime you have.

**(Begin)**

Soft streams of sun light danced upon the dusty wooden floors of the church. The small rays had passed through the elegant stained glass window, much to the annoyance of the night creature lingering at the church. He was to wait, only because he had went ahead of his friend. The vampire didn't have the patience to sit in the car, with the woman, who was sleeping wrapped in that same cloth provided at the morgue.

Now, you're wondering; how come our dear friend Hiei hasn't melted yet?

Obviously, it's still early in the morning, 10:26 to be exact. Hiei hasn't melted, nor evaporated into a pile of dust, nor given a howl of pain and died on the spot. You see humans tend to make their own assumptions on how to defeat their nightmares, such as werewolves, zombies, and vampires based on experiences. It's all-stereotypical and a bit annoying to the creatures, well, not the zombies, who don't really care. Why humans believe that light will kill vampires is a mystery to them, but hell, it's sure is funny watching a human scramble looking for a flashlight after seeing their fangs. But, anyway, back to Hiei. (Bear with me. I really hate this so far, I would consider re-writing it, but I don't have the time and you guys want updates…Sheesh!)

His black boots paced in firm lines on the wooden panels of the establishment, creating creaky noises to erupt from the floor and resound to the arched beams supporting the roof of the holy place. He ran a tan hand through his hair, anxiety filling his already hangover state of mind, caused by loss of sleep. This vampire was not meant for waiting, even for that woman. Well, she was a bit of an exception, with that _thing_ inside of her. But, Hiei could already tell he would have rocky times with this girl, even if she hadn't spoken a word to him yet.

**(With Kurama**)

Sneaking out of the morgue had not been an easy task. Not at all. Especially after Hiei had so kindly deserted him with the last words of, "Hurry up". Such a generous vampire Hiei was. Kurama expected this though, he had known Hiei since he was twenty, and now he just had turned twenty-five. Their friendship was filled with incidents such as this. But, Kurama figured Hiei left because of the girl. Botan, or so the paper said.

Hiei was rough, a man that only wanted to get things done fast and in his own way. A no-nonsense man. Women certainly weren't on his agenda, for he found them to be annoying, helpless, useless and far too complicated for his taste. (Anyone every heard of Tasuki? Amon?) However, the vampire wasn't needed to escape with the woman. The priest would use his crafty logic and physical skills to leave the horrid place.

Red hair swayed against his shoulder as the clever holy man lifted the limp Botan off the steel table and slowly turned towards the fire exit. A mumble caused him to pause; emerald orbs fearfully glancing around only to calm down again when the lump of the man on the floor didn't stir. One again, he caustically made his way across the man and pried open the bleak painted door. With all the adrenaline, the poor man forgot about the alarm that sounded after the door opened.

"There's a fire with the bodies!"

"Damnit, someone get in there!"

A sigh came forth from the man before a whisper made it's way in the air, "Forgive me…" Then, Kurama's legs took full action as he sprinted away from the morgue, clutching Botan in his steady arms. His eyes squinted to glare into the parking lot and look for his blue car. (Thought it would be red?) Still gripping Botan, he nearly performed a 007 move to maneuver into the car and slam the keys into the ignition. The priest took a deep breath before gently setting the barely clothed woman onto the passenger seat.

'I wonder… How she'll take it…' The solemn thought wormed it's way in his mind. Mentally sighing, Kurama decided that Hiei's straight forward-ness would clear everything up for the confused girl.

(**With Yusuke)**

Any minute now… Any minute now… Yeah, any minute now Botan would burst through the door, as happy as ever, and ran up to her boss to give him a hug and repeatedly apologize for being late. Or, that's what the raven-haired man would think. To him, she wasn't dead. He had known Botan for years! She wasn't this weak! Nothing like this could kill her… How could a stupid car accident take her away from him and Keiko? How?

The office stuck a still silence when the call was received; papers ceased to rustles, coughs and sneezes were abrupt, and the other phones continued to ring. Yusuke ignored the soft voice on the other line, his full attention became focused on the thumping of his heart. A choke became caught in his throat while co-workers stared in shock. "Mr. Yusuke… I'm sorry…" The voice feel upon death ears.

Slowly, he placed the phone down on the receiver and slumped his way over to the exit of the office. Brushes of dark hair fell over his face as Yusuke turned to the secretary, who wore a teary mask. "Juri… I'm gonna take a walk… Please inform my wife…" The tan girl nodded and gulped before reaching down to dial her boss's home phone number. She could already imagine how the conversation would go with Keiko.

Now, here he was, taking a grieving walk in the tree-cluttered path located near the office. Fist slammed in his suit pockets, frown plastered on his face and small sniffles sounded out from him. The rain clouds had moved from the sky, leaving an indigo gloss sky. The sidewalks and roads remained moist; littered with a few raindrops here and there. The man paid no heed to the gloomy weather and let his head remained bowed to glare holes in the ground he walked on.

A sinister shadow clung to a branch while watching the distressed Yusuke; it snickered, and formed a small strategy in its mind before swooping closer to the man. Alarmed chocolate eyes quickly glanced up to face the maroon eyes of the blur, which crackled with an evil aura. "A sad spirit is easier to control…" The shadow's voice was annoyingly high and cracked, which turned Yusuke's expression from depression to literally pissed-off. He lifted up a fist to strike the creature, the thought of survival on his mind.

He knew what these things were. Not exactly, but Yusuke knew what they did to people. After nights of extensive research with the 'deceased' Botan, both reporter and boss came to revelations that the police wouldn't reveal. Basically, these things attacked you, killed you or sucked your blood dry, causing the speculations of vampire to arise. No one knew where the creatures emerged from, what they wanted, or who sent them. However, the attacks were minimal, and easy to avoid as long as you stayed inside.

Soon after the punch was thrown, the shadow dodged it and let out a sneering laugh. "You're just as weak as the girl!" It cried, causing Yusuke's eyes to widen while another punch was swung. Was this the thing that killed his best friend? This!?

'I won't stand for it… I'll avenge her…' Fire blazed in the man's while the shadow held a goofy smirk.

"You think this is funny?"

The shadow stayed levitated in the air for a moment, pausing to answer. "You humans think you're so strong spirited. It always ends up the same… You lose…"

Nothing moved in the secluded area for the moment. For the moment Yusuke was deemed to be possessed. The trees didn't sway with the cool breeze; the birds and other such creatures remained silent while his once sad eyes gained a mischievous glint. His memories of the loving wife worrying about him at home were gone, along with those about his supposedly dead friend. Feelings and emotions left Yusuke that day the shadow took over.

Smirking, the now marooned eyed man stride down the street humming, "…._I know that most of all I sense compassion's wield into strangers wherever I go... thank you for waking me up_! Heh heh…"

**(With Hiei)**

Frustrated, that was the state the vampire held in his mind. If there was one thing he absolutely hated, besides women, it was waiting. Even worse, was that he was in a church for crying out loud! Like cats, churches seemed to give him a small tingly feeling. An annoying tingle snagging at the smallest corner of his mind. To his species, it wasn't a bad situation to be placed it. The man had some bad experiences in churches.

"Kurama, damnit, where are you?" His ragged yell gained no response from the empty church. Nothing creaked, nothing cracked. Sighing, for the umpteenth time, he ran a hand through his gravity defying hair, loose strands fell helplessly down to the wooden ground. (Bad habit…) The silvery strings stood out when placed on the dusty ground of the church, obviously the bright sun was to be blamed. Muttering, Hiei pulled his cloak further over his head, cursing the sun and a certain priest.

Maybe by karma, or perhaps Hiei had just been granted a wish, whichever the cause, the next thing Hiei heard was the church door opening to reveal a weary Kurama and white bundle caught in his arms. The vampire rolled his eyes, only to squint them later due to the sun, and stalk his way over to the doors, firmly shutting them. "How did it go?" He asked, his crimson eyes completely avoiding the woman sleeping in his friend's arms.

"Good. Just started a fire alarm and panicked a slew of morgue workers… But, other than that, she seems to be fine. Just sleeping."

"Hn." That was Hiei's satisfied answer. Whenever the night creature asked a question and heard a respectable or pleasing answer, the "hn" was his trademark.

Kurama nodded slightly, and walked over to the rows of benches placed on the church. He figured that the poor girl needed to rest, especially after being brought back to life. Also, they couldn't explain all this too her when she was still tired, when there was the chance that she wouldn't believe them or just scream her head off. Either way, it might end up with Hiei scaring her off…

Hiei's eyes became directed towards the blue haired woman when Kurama set her down on the old bench, disapproval sparked in his red eyes. The priest kneeled over next to Botan, and in a generous manner, he swept the hair away from her eyes and softly sigh. "Hiei, why do you distrust women?"

The answer didn't come for a few moments. The vampire sat there, taking all the responses he could gather in his mind, while at the same time thinking of a way to sarcastically deliver them. Finally, one met his standards. With a knowing smirk, he established eye contact with the other man, ignoring the woman's soft breathing.

"Kurama. How could you trust something that bleeds for a week and doesn't die?"

**(End)**

Pocky: Alright… Who's gonna kill me for that comment?! I've heard it before and thought it would be funny for Hiei to say it..


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